Rug tufting machine



Nov. 10, 1931. H. E. DYKEMAN RUG, TUFTING MACHINE Filed Nov. so, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 10, 1931. H. E. DYKEMAN V ,8 ,48

RUG TUFTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 30. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS RUG rurrme MACHINEApplication filed November 30, 1928. Serial 1T0. 322,939.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in' rug tuftingmachines, and more particularly to a rug tuftlng machine wherein thetufts are formed by looping a tufting yarn.

An object of the present invention is to provide arug tuft-ing machinewherein the tufts inserted through a fabric base are of uniform lengthand the yarn between tufts laid closely against the face of the fabricbase. L

i A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the abovetype wherein the tufting loops are formed and the lengths of the loopsdetermined by the needle forming the loops.

A further object of the inventlon is to provide a machine of the abovetype wherein the needle as it penetrates the fabric base to form atufting loop draws tufting yarn from the previously formed loop so as todetermlne the length of the .loop and lay the tuftlng yarn closelyagainst the face of the fabric base.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in frontelevation showingmore or less diagrammatically a machine embodying the improvemen Fig. 2is a diagrammatic view showing the needle, the loop retaining implementthe fabric, and the formed loops with the needle at the upper end of itsstroke. I

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the needle as about to penetrate thefabric base and the previously formed tufting loop released by theretaining implement.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the needle at the lowerend of its stroke and the previously formed tufting loop drawn up to apredetermined extent by the needle and the -tufting yarn thereby laidclosely against the face of the fabric base.

Fig. 5 is a view showing diagrammatically a small section of a tuftedrug formed by the machine.

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in plan showing the yarnguiding devices for receiving the yarn from the supply.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the stationary yarn guide on theoverhangingarm.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the needle lever bracket and yarn guide carriedthereby.

Fig. 9 is a side view of the yarn guide carried by the needle head.

The invention is directed to a rug tufting machine and includes aneye-pointed needle mounted cation. The tufts are formed from a tuftingyarn which is threaded through the eye of the needle. This tufting yarnas it passes from the supply is led around suitable stationary guidingdevices and also over a guiding device carried by the needle lever whichreciprocates the needle bar. There is no tension on the yarn and theyarn runs freely over the guiding devices. Cooperating with the needlebeneath the work support is a loop retaining implement which isoscillated and timed so as to move into the loop formed in the tuftingyarn by the needle. Said loop forming implement has a relatively longmovement into the yarn loop and retains the yarn loop until the needlehas reached substantiallythe upper end of its" stroke. This insures thatthe needle on its up stroke will not pull any tufting yarn from theformed freely sliding in the eye of the needle during thisupwardmovement oftheneedle. After the needle has reached the upper'endof its stroke, the loop is released and on the down-' ward movement ofthe needle to form the new loop, tufting yarn is freely given to theneedle so that the needle does not move down on the yarn but forms a newloop by drawing the tufting yarn in part from the previously formedtufting loop. This draws up the previously formed tufting loop to apredetermined length and also lays the tufting yarn closely against theface of the fabric base.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, in Fig. 5 a portion of a rugis diagrammaticallv shown which includes a fabric base 1 in which aseries of tufting loops 2 have been formed. These tufting loops areformed from a tufting yarn 3 which is laid against in an overhanging armfor recipro-' loop but will move up on the yarn, the yarn I one face ofthe fabric base and carried through the fabric base so as to provideprojecting loops 2. These projecting loops 2 are very close together andthus a tufted rug formed, the tufted face of which consists of a seriesof closely placed yarn loops. These are matted down into a verysoftyielding surface.

The machine for producing this tufted rug includes a supporting base 4carrying a standard 5 which is provided with an overhanging arm 6.Mounted for reciprocation in the overhanging arm 6 is a needle bar 7.The needle bar 7 is reciprocated by means of a needle lever 8 pivoted at9 to the standard and reciprocated by an eccentric strap 10 cooperatingwith an eccentric on the main shaft 11. Mounted in the needle bar 7 is aneedle. 12 which is provided with an eye 13. The tufting yarn is ledfrom the supply through a suitable guide eye 14 in a bracket 15, thenceacross a guiding post 160 to a roller guide 16 mounted for rotationabout a vertical axis. The guide eye 14 is relatively large and taperedfrom each side to the center thereof so that there is little or notension placed on the yarn as it passes through this eye and around thepost. The tufting yarn thence passes over a guide roller .17 carried bya bracket 18 mounted on the overhanging arm. The bracket is adj ustablysecured to the overhanging arm by a screw 18a. Mounted on the needlelever 8 is a bracket 19 which carries a guide roller 20. Attached to thebracket and overhanging the roller is a guard rod 21. This guard rodprevents the yarn from being released from the roller 20 during thereciprocation of the needle lever. The yarn after leaving the roller 20passes over a guide roller 22 carried by a bracket 23 which is mountedon the needle head. From this guide roller the tufting yarn passes tothe eye 13 of the needle. Said bracket is provided with a slot 24 and ascrew 25 passing through the slot clamps the bracket in adjustedpositions. The roller 17 is provided with an oiling recess closed by theusual ball valve'indicated at 26 in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The roller20 is likewise provided with an oil supplying means as indicated at 27.The roller 22 is provided with a suitable oil supplying means asindicated at 28. The guide rollers over which the tufting yarn runs allbeing mounted for free rotation and self-lubrication enable the tuftingyarn to be supplied to the needle with very little tension placed on theThe fabric base to be tufted is placed on a work support 29 and is heldthereon by the usual form of presser foot 30. The fabric base is fedacross the work support by a feeding mechanism which includes a feed dog31. Cooperating with the needle beneath the work support 29 is a loopretaining implement 32. This implement is carried by an other end to aball stud at the outer end of a a lever arm 41 shown in dotted lines inFig. 1.

This lever arm 41 is pivoted to a bracket 42 at its lower end. A rocklever 43 is pivoted at 44 to the standard 5 of the machine. A link 45 ispivoted at 46 to this rock lever and is pivoted at 47 t0 the lever arm41. The rock lever 43 is oscillated by an eccentric strap 48 cooperatingwith an eccentric on the main shaft 11.

The reciprocating means for the needle causes the needle to pass throughthe fabric base and insert a tufting loop formed in the tufting yarn bythe needle through the fabric base. As the needle begins its upwardmovement, the tufting yarn is bowed out slightly from the shank of theneedle .and the loop retaining implement 32 enters the tufting loop andpasses on into the tufting loop. This retaining implement 32 has arelatively long body portion and a relatively long stroke. Said loopforming implement reaches the forward end of its stroke just slightlybefore the needle reaches the upper end of its stroke. There is more orless of a dwell given to the needle as it reverses its movement at theupper end of its stroke. On its upward movement the tufting yarn is heldsubstantially taut by this loop retaining implement and the eye of theneedle will slide upwardly on the tufting yarn. During this upwardmovement of the needle, the roller 20 is moving away from the roller 22and also away from the roller 17 as it moves in the arc of a circleabout a center at the axis 9 of the needle lever. The tufting yarn beingheld taut at this time yarn will be drawn from the supply through theyarn guiding eye 14. As the needle starts its downward movement, thethread guiding roller 20 will at once begin to move toward the roller 22and the roller 17 and will give slack to the tufting yarn. The feed ofthe tufting yarn is so free that the tufting yarn between the eye of theneedle and the roller 22 will move down with the needle and thus createa slack in the tufting yarn between the eye of the needle and theprevious needle puncture as indicated at 2a in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

When the eye of the needle reaches the fabric base, a new loop begins toform in the tufting yarn and the needle continues to form and extendthis loop until it reaches the extreme lower end of its stroke. There ismore or less of a friction grip of the fabric on the yarn pressing thesame against the sides of the needle. The roller 20 continues to give upslack to the needle until it reaches the lower end of its stroke.This'downward movement of the needle consumes the slack 211 before theneedle reaches the lower end of its stroke. The yarn will be then drawnclose against the face of the fabric base and yarn will be drawn fromthe previously formed yarn loop. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thispreviously formed yarn loop indicated at 2d is longer than the otheryarn loops 2. The yarn for forming the strand 2c in the loop that isbeing formed by the needle will be drawn from this previously formedelongated yarn loop 2d, drawing said yarn loop up to a predeterminedshorter length. It is this formation of the yarn loop by the needlewhich draws on the previously formed yarn loops and makes the yarn loopsof uniform length and which also draws the yarn between the loops tightagainst the face of the fabric base.

In order that the yarn may be snugly nested against the fabric base, theposition of the guide rollers 17 and 22 which are adjustable may beshifted and so set that the needle takes slightly more yarn than hasbeen pulled from the supply on the upward movement of the needle, and.therefore, will pull at this time a small portion of yarn from thesupply. As noted, there is little or no tension on the yarn,nevertheless. the pulling of the yarn about the rollers will placesufficient tension so as to insure the drawing up of the previous loopto a predetermined extent and the laying of the yarn close against theface of the fabric base.

The particular device for forming the yarn loops and the mechanism foroperating the same may be greatly varied without departing from thespirit of the invention, which resides largely in a reciprocatingneedle, an oscillating thread retaining implement. and a yarn supplymeans, all of which are timed and operated to form the fabric loops andthen draw the fabric loops to a predetermined length and at the sametime lay the yarn between loops close against the face of the fabricbase.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rug tufting machine including in combination a needle, means forreciprocating said needle for inserting a tufting loop through a fabricbase, a loop retaining implement cooperating with the needle, means forreciprocating said loop retaining implement whereby said implement iscaused to engage a tufting loop formed by the needle and retain the sameuntil the needle reaches substantially the upper end of its stroke, saidneedle on its downward stroke operating to draw tufting yarn from thepreviously formed loop whereby said loop is shortened and the yarnbetween needle punctures drawn tightly against the fabric base, andmeans operating on' the upward movement of the needle for pullingtufting yarn from the supply and for giving the yarn drawn from thesupply to the needle on the downward movement thereof.

2. A rug tufting machine including in com bination a needle, means forreciprocating said needle for inserting atufting loop through a fabricbase, a loop retaining implement cooperating with the needle, means forreciprocating said loop retaining implement whereby said implement iscaused to engage a tufting loop formed by the needle and return the sameuntil the needle reaches substantially the upper end of its stroke, saidneedle on its downward stroke operating to draw tufting yarn from the.previously formed loop whereby said loop is shortened and the yarnbetween needle punctures drawn tightly against the fabric base, andmeans operating on the upward movement of the needle for pulling tuftingyarn from the supply and for giving the yarn drawn from the supply tothe needle on the downward movement thereof, said last-named meansincluding adjustable guiding members whereby the amount of yarn pulledfrom the supply may be varied so that the needle as it reaches the lowerend of its stroke will pull a small amount of thread from the supply.

In testimony whereof, I atfix my signature.

HARRY E. DYKEMAN.

